English
the time for the impulsion to experience the taste of the object. What does this simile reveal? Only the sense-base is struck by the object, only the functional mind-element turns back the life-continuum, only the eye-consciousness and others perform the functions of seeing, receiving, investigating, and determining. But the impulsion alone, entirely, experiences the taste of the object. "Gāmillo": Many village boys were playing a dust game in the lane. Then a coin struck one's hand. He said, "Something has struck my hand, what could it be?" Then one said, "It is white." Another grasped it tightly with the dust. Another said, "It is broad and square." Another said, "This is a coin." Then he brought it and gave it to his mother. She put it to use. There, the time when many boys are sitting and playing in the lane should be seen as the arising of the life-continuum consciousness. Like the time when the coin struck the hand, the time when the sense-base is struck by the object. Like the time when it was said, "What could it be?" the time when the functional mind-element, having taken that object, turns back the life-continuum. Like the time when it was said, "It is white," the time when the eye-consciousness accomplishes the function of seeing. Like the time when it was grasped tightly with the dust, the time when the resultant mind-element receives the object. Like the time when it was said, "It is broad and square," the time when the resultant mind-consciousness-element investigates the object. Like the time when it was said, "This is a coin," the time when the functional mind-consciousness-element determines the object. Like the time when the mother put it to use, the experiencing of the taste of the object by the impulsion should be understood. What does this simile reveal? The functional mind-element, without seeing, turns back the life-continuum; the resultant mind-element, without seeing, receives; the resultant mind-consciousness-element, without seeing, investigates; the functional mind-consciousness- It determines the object element without seeing the sense-sphere element, it experiences the taste of the object without seeing the process of apperception. However, it reveals that visual consciousness alone accomplishes the function of seeing. 'Like a mango for the Koliyas,' this was said with reference to the simile of the mango and the simile of the sugarcane hall owner mentioned below. 'A congenitally blind man and a paralytic cripple,' it is said that both of them were sitting in a hall at the city gate. There, the paralytic cripple said, 'Hey blind man, why do you wander around here wasting away? Such and such a place is prosperous with abundant food and drink, is it not fitting to go there and live happily?' 'What you have told me, is it not fitting for you to go there and live happily?' 'I have no feet to go.' 'I have no eyes to see.' 'If so, let your feet be mine, and my eyes be yours,' both agreed, saying 'Good.' The congenitally blind man placed the paralytic cripple on his shoulders. Sitting on his shoulders, he encircled the blind man's head with his left hand, and with his right hand, he directed the way, saying, 'In this place, a root is obstructing the way, in this place, a stone, release the left, take the right, release the right, take the left.' Thus, the feet of the congenitally blind man and the eyes of the paralytic cripple, both, by combination, went to the desired place and lived happily. There, the material body is like the congenitally blind man, the immaterial body is like the paralytic cripple. Without the paralytic cripple, the inability of the material to bring about the act of taking and consuming, is like the time when the congenitally blind man cannot go in any direction, the non-arising of the impulse to go. Without the congenitally blind man, the non-functioning of the impulse to go in any direction for the paralytic cripple, is like the five aggregates of existence, the non-functioning of the material without the immaterial. The time when both, by combination, went to the desired place and lived happily, is like the possibility of the functioning of material and immaterial phenomena in all activities by mutual association. This question is spoken in terms of the five aggregates of existence. 'Grasping objects...' That is, the eye grasps the object of form. The ear and the others grasp the objects of sound and so on. ‘By way of support and meaning,’ both ‘by way of support’ and ‘by way of meaning.’ Here, because of the eye being unimpaired, because of forms being within range, dependent on light, caused by attention, by these four conditions eye-consciousness arises, together with its associated mental states. Here, even if the eye of a dead person is unimpaired, or of a living person is obstructed or destroyed, or covered by bile or phlegm or blood, being unable to be a condition for eye-consciousness, it is called ‘impaired.’ Being able, it is called unimpaired. The same method applies to the ear and the others. However, even if the eye is unimpaired, if external forms do not come within range, eye-consciousness does not arise. But even if they come within range, if there is no dependence on light, it does not arise. Even if that is present, if the functional mind-element does not turn from the life-continuum, it does not arise. Only when it turns does it arise. Thus, arising in this way, it arises together with its associated mental states. Thus, having obtained these four conditions, eye-consciousness arises. Because of the ear being unimpaired, because of sounds being within range, dependent on space, caused by attention, by these four conditions ear-consciousness arises, together with its associated mental states. Here, ‘dependent on space’ means it arises only having obtained dependence on space, not without it. For ear-consciousness does not function when the ear-hole is covered. The rest should be understood in the same way as before. As it is here, so it is in the following cases as well. However, I will speak of the mere difference. Because of the nose being unimpaired, because of odors being within range, dependent on air, caused by attention, by these four conditions nose-consciousness arises, together with its associated mental states. Here, ‘dependent on air’ means it arises only when air enters the nostril, if that is not present, it does not arise, that is the meaning. Because of the tongue being unimpaired, because of tastes being within range, dependent on ā Dependent on support, caused by attention, eye-consciousness arises with four conditions, together with associated mental states. Here, 'dependent on support' means, tongue-consciousness arises only having obtained the liquid element of the tongue, not without it. Indeed, even if dry food is placed on a dry tongue, tongue-consciousness does not arise. Because of the inseparability of the body, because of the accessibility of tangibles, dependent on earth, caused by attention, body-consciousness arises with four conditions, together with associated mental states. Here, 'dependent on earth' means, the body-faculty arises only having obtained the earth element as its support, not without it. Indeed, at the body-door, external material phenomena strike the internal body-faculty, and are obstructed in the material elements that are the conditions for the faculty. Because of the inseparability of the mind, because of the accessibility of mental objects, dependent on the base, caused by attention, mind-consciousness arises with four conditions, together with associated mental states. Here, 'mind' means the life-continuum consciousness. Even though it is ceased, it is considered mixed if it is weak and sluggish, unable to be a condition for the attention consciousness, even while it is occurring. However, that which is able to be a condition for attention is considered unmixed. 'Because of the accessibility of mental objects' means, when mental objects are accessible. 'Dependent on the base' means, it arises only having obtained the heart-base as its support, not without it. This question is also spoken with reference to the five-aggregate existence. 'Caused by attention' means, it arises only when the life-continuum is turned towards the functional mind-consciousness element. This is the explanation of support in the sense of 'support in meaning'. 'In meaning', however, the eye is for the purpose of seeing, the ear is for the purpose of hearing, the nose is for the purpose of smelling, the tongue is for the purpose of tasting, the body is for the purpose of touching, the mind is for the purpose of cognizing. Therein, seeing is its meaning. Indeed, it is for the purpose of seeing, because it accomplishes that. The same method applies to the rest. Thus far, in the Tipiṭaka, the shorter Nāga Thera's teaching, sixteen... The path of the decade is finished, along with the path of the twelve and the eight causeless states. Now, the discourse on the path of the twelve in the tradition of the Elder Mahādatta, resident of Moravāpī, begins. Here, the Sāketa question, the Ussada recitation, and the cause recitation are just natural. But this Elder, seeing fault in the unprompted and prompted, said, "The unprompted gives result only as unprompted, not as prompted; and the prompted also only as prompted, not as unprompted." And he does not explain the regulation of mind by impulsion. But he explains the regulation of feeling by object. Therefore, his extraction of results is called the path of the twelve. The path of the decade and the eight causeless states are also included here. Here is the method: When a deed is accumulated by a joyful, three-rooted, unprompted mind, for one who has taken rebirth with a resultant mind of the same kind and has attained maturity, when a desirable object comes into range at the eye-door, there are three empty turns in the manner described below.